


Tears

by nightshade002



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, Chrom!Inigo, Gen, I'm so sorry, M/M, Minor Character Death, can be read as actual relationship thing or just really close friends, nothing that isn't canon though, without the happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-14 01:57:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7147430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightshade002/pseuds/nightshade002
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inigo cries a lot over everything, but Gerome can remember five times that Inigo was completely sincere with his crying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The first time Gerome saw Inigo cry, really cry, Gerome was still 13 and Inigo was just barely 14. It was also the first time Gerome cried, that he can remember. The day was beautiful - a rare sight in those times - with barely a cloud in the sky, sun shining brightly in the middle of August. He’d had his suspicions that something had happened when Minerva flew back to their camp riderless. When the first few people came staggering and limping back, he searched frantically for his mother, or maybe her friend Olivia because they were always together. Instead he found Inigo, away from the rest of the group, sitting under a tree crying. In truth, it could have been for a number of reasons, especially considering this was one of Inigo’s first battles.

Inigo must have heard him coming because he quickly rubbed the tears from his eyes and looked up. “Gerome? Wh-what are you doing here?” he asked, obviously just barely holding back tears.

Gerome sat down next to him. “I... I was looking for my mom,” he admitted quietly. This seemed to be the worst thing he could have said, because Inigo started crying again. Gerome wasn’t sure what to do, he wasn’t all that great with people to begin with, so he just held Inigo in his arms while he cried.

“Gerome... she... Cherche, um, sh-she-” Inigo tried to say once he could speak. He was having a hard time getting the words out. He cleared his throat and tried again. “She... your mom i-isn’t coming back. I-I’m so sorry Gerome.”

He had frozen at that. His mom couldn’t possibly have died. She was always so strong. He wouldn’t have ever imagined that she would fall in battle. At least not anytime soon. He distantly felt a wetness on his cheeks that slowly registered as tears. Inigo was hugging him tighter and whispering that he was sorry over and over, but he couldn’t respond. It was as if he had no control over his body and he couldn’t move.

Gradually he came back to himself. Enough to realize that something was wrong with this picture. Whenever Inigo started crying because he was rejected or more recently after battles, he never cried for this long and he always spent his time with his mom. “Inigo, where’s Olivia?” he asked hesitantly, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.

Inigo’s sobs, which had been starting to die down, started again. “Sh-sh-she was p-protecting me, because w-we were surrounded and there were too many Risen for us to take on.”

“Where’s Lucina?” he asked, dreading the possible answer.

“She’s with father. I came here as soon as Aunt Lissa healed me.”

“Shouldn’t you be with them?”

“I’ve always gone to mom when I cry because father keeps telling me how I’m the prince and I need to be strong in front of everyone else and Lucina just agrees with him.” Inigo had finally, finally stopped crying altogether. “I just don’t really know what to do now, since I can’t go to mom.”

Gerome was silent for only a moment before he came up with a solution. “You could come to me... if you want. I’m not sure I will be able to help much, but it would be a start,” he suggested shyly, hoping he wouldn’t come to regret his decision.

\-------------

The second time Inigo truly cried, they were both 16. It was Lucina’s coronation day. At this point, all of the days looked the same, same black sky, same dark aura, a reddish light cast over the world. At some point, they had stopped trying to remember what day it was and roughly guessed their ages. Inigo managed to stay composed through the ceremony, but Gerome could tell that he was on the brink of tears the entire time. He was biting his lip and his hands were shaking. 

Gerome had started wearing a mask after his mother died to conceal his pain, and, in a way, Inigo had too. He smiled almost constantly, adopting a ‘fake it ‘till you make it’ attitude and started flirting with just about any girl he saw, save his sister. Typically he went out into town after each battle and it was up to Gerome to bring him back, crying over some girl rejecting him. It was better, Gerome thought, than crying because of the constant battles.

After the ceremony, he grabbed Inigo’s hand and led him silently to the room they shared. It was technically required that every room had to have at least two people because of all of the refugees that were staying in the castle. The majority of their villages having been overrun by Risen, and those whose villages were still intact had fled in order to vacate before the Risen reached them. Thanks to this, all of the inns in Ylisstol had been filled up and the castle’s spare rooms were being used to house refugees. Technically, Inigo wasn’t required to share a room with anyone, being the crown prince, but he felt bad having a giant room all to himself while his people tried to fit large families into rooms smaller than his. So, when Inigo had asked Gerome if he wanted to share his room, Gerome agreed.

As soon as they entered their room, the tears came. Inigo gripped onto Gerome and buried his face in the shirt and sobbed. Gerome held Inigo loosely in his arms as Inigo sobbed. “Th-they’re gonna try to kill Robin, aren’t they?”

Gerome led Inigo over to his bed so they could sit down next to each other. He nodded, “I’m sorry. People saw... what happened. And as much as you and I believe his story about his father taking control of his body, no one else really does. Anyone that would truly have believed him-”

“Is dead. Mother, Father, Aunt Lissa, Uncle Ricken, everyone, I know,” Inigo sighed. At least he wasn’t crying any more. “But I was the closest. I saw the look of surprise on father’s face and Robin’s face. I heard father say that it wasn’t Robin’s fault. He told Robin to run, but he refused to leave father’s side.” He had started crying again. 

“Even if they try, I don’t think Robin will be willing to go down that easily.”

Inigo nodded against Gerome’s side. They sat in silence while Inigo gradually stopped crying. “Hey Gerome?” Inigo asked timidly.

“Yes?”

“Could... could you take your mask off? Just... just this once?”

Gerome didn’t really want to. It had become almost the equivalent of a safety blanket to him. But... “Would it make you feel better?” Inigo nodded. He sighed and reached up for the straps of his mask and undid them. It was the first time since his mother died that he had his mask off around another person.

“Thank you,” Inigo mumbled as he drifted off to sleep, drained of energy from crying. Gerome picked him up and laid him down under the covers of his bed. He then blew out the candles in the room and laid down on his own bed.

“Anything for you, Inigo,” Gerome said softly.

\-------------

The third time Inigo cried, it was Gerome’s own fault. Inigo would say it wasn’t, but Gerome knew. They were 18, by a rough estimate. The days still looked the same and age didn’t matter to anyone anymore. All of the kids of the Shepherds had gotten together to discuss going back to the past. Lucina said it was possible with the help of Naga. Gerome thought that if Naga cared so much, she would have done something to stop it all from happening a first time. Not send them back to fix her mistake. Grima was reborn, Robin had disappeared, Morgan was exiled simply for being Robin’s daughter, and Ylisstol was the only place left free from the Risen. They had no way of getting more food and eventually all of their supplies would run out.

Gerome was the only one that didn’t want to leave their present time. He didn’t want to mess with fate. Nothing good ever came from tempting fate. And it wasn’t fair to the rest of Ylisse for the twelve of them to get to leave while the rest of their people were left to die. It would be the same as giving up on them. Lucina argued that it was the only chance to give their country a chance to fight back against Grima. Almost everyone agreed with her. Severa and Owain understood Gerome’s views, but believed that the best idea would be to travel to the past. Only Inigo had remained silent through the entire meeting.

“If Gerome wants to stay back, I’ll stay with him,” he said quietly, blushing when everyone’s eyes turned to him. “It would be the best compromise we can come up with. You all go to the past and try to prevent this from happening, and I’ll stay back with Gerome so that the people aren’t left leaderless,” he continued stronger.

“Inigo, you’re one of the best fighters, we’ll need you in the past if we want to have some hope of preventing this outcome,” Lucina argued.

“It’s because I’m one of the best fighters that if we are to decide on this compromise I have to be the one to stay back with Gerome. We’ll give the people a fighting chance, even if it’s slim.”

The rest of the people in the room were shocked. Inigo had never really took a stand against Lucina’s decisions. He always went along with her plans, and absolutely never spoke out. Gerome wasn’t even sure they had ever seen Inigo show any real emotions. 

“Inigo, you should go back to the past with Lucina and the others. I’ll be fine staying here.” Inigo gaped at him with raw surprise and a hurt look in his eyes. Gerome closed his eyes to collect himself, even though the mask he wore would conceal any emotion. He continued, “Your best chance at survival is to leave me behind. I don’t want to go to the past. Attempting to mess with fate will surely only bring pain.” Gerome was seriously considering leaving the room at this point, but he stayed in his chair, looking down at his hands, as he had been the entire time he was speaking. When he looked up, he could tell Inigo was about to have a breakdown. Gerome wasn’t even sure that Inigo would want him to attempt to comfort him this time.

“I’m not going if Gerome doesn’t go,” Inigo said coldly, narrowing his eyes. It was the first time anyone had ever heard him take that tone of voice and if they had been quiet before, they were silent now. The door of the room slammed shut loudly as Inigo stormed out. Everyone just stared at the door. Gerome didn’t know what to do. He wanted to go after him, but he was almost certain Inigo wouldn’t want to see him. 

“Well?” Severa said expectantly.

“Well what?” Gerome asked.

“Are you going to go after him or what? You’re always the one he goes to whenever he’s in a mood.”

“Try and convince him to come with us, while you’re with him,” Lucina added.

Gerome was pushed out of the room with the task of finding Inigo. That is, if he wanted to be found. Gods know Inigo was good at finding out of the way places to hide from people. Instead of looking all over the castle for him, Gerome just went back to their room. He knew that Inigo would eventually end up back there. He always did. 

He found Inigo sitting on his bed, shoulders shaking, knees pulled up to his chest, a worn stuffed bear from when he was about 5 years old clutched in his arms, tears streaming down his face. It was the first time in years Gerome honestly had no idea what to do to calm him. He sat down next to Inigo, close enough that he could lean on him, if he wanted, but not actually touching him, incase it would be unwelcome.

“Please don’t try to convince me to leave you here. I can’t lose you too,” Inigo whimpered. “Please don’t make me leave you here to die.”

Gerome reached up and untied his mask before he wrapped an arm around Inigo and pulled him close. “Look at me, please, Inigo?” he requested. Inigo raised his head and Gerome continued. “Firstly, no one can make you do anything. And secondly, i-if it means that much to you... I suppose I could travel with you to the past. If only to take Minerva to Wyvern Valley so she doesn’t have to keep fighting in all these wars. And I wouldn’t be trying to reverse fate or change anything.”

“You’d really do that?” Inigo asked, eyes shining simultaneously with tears and hope, something Gerome hadn’t seen in anyone’s expression recently.

“I would... if it truly meant that much to you,” he confirmed. And if there were some disbelieving looks the next day when he said he was going to the past solely to set Minerva free, well, he wasn’t going to openly disagree with them.

\-------------

The fourth time Inigo cried, Gerome’s fault again, it was the day he reunited with Gerome and the rest of the Shepherds. Of course, the older Shepherds didn’t recognise him, but the younger generation was ecstatic. There were some missing faces. Nah, Noire, Laurent, Yarne, and Morgan (if she made it to the future) hadn’t been found yet. Gerome had been found about six months ago by the rest of the group and his mother persuaded him to stay and fight with the army. Aside from his parents, he hadn’t really talked with many people in the army unless it was absolutely necessary. From going off of his friends’ ages, he guessed that he and Inigo were about 20.

Inigo was different from how Gerome remembered him. He was much less quiet and shy. He had also started flirting with everyone again, picking up the habit he’d dropped once the war in the future escalated. He seemed much more independent. Gerome watched from the sidelines as Inigo was greeted by the rest of their friends, as well as Chrom and Olivia. He even managed to get a hug from Cherche, which was strange to Gerome because there was seemingly no reason for it. Gerome figured that Inigo probably wouldn’t need his shoulder to cry on anymore, since he had his mother back, so he decided to go back to his tent.

He was about to enter his tent when Minerva stopped him by stepping in front of the entrance.

“Minerva, what-? Let me through.” Minerva refused to move. In fact, she nudged him backwards with her head. “Minerva, let me into my tent.” She only nudged him backwards again. Sighing irritably, he turned around to find Inigo searching for him, getting closer to his tent. He looked back at Minerva. “Please let me into my tent?” he tried. It was her turn to huff irritably and she shoved him forward this time. He stumbled and almost fell before regaining his footing. After sending a glare back at her, that was, unfortunately, covered up by his mask, he took a deep breath and prepared to deal with a new Inigo.

“Gerome!” Inigo called with a bright smile on his face, making his way to Gerome. It seemed a little... tense... to Gerome. “You left before I could say hi to you.”

“Sorry, I was tired after the battle and I was going to my tent to lay down for a bit.”

“Still not a fan of big crowds?” Inigo teased lightly, as if he was ever truly more social or comfortable around other people than Gerome. Then again, a lot can change in two years of not seeing each other. “I thought you weren’t going to get involved in the war?”

“Well, Cherche convinced me to fight in one battle, and I didn’t ever leave afterwards. I didn’t like the feeling of not helping out, so I volunteered to fight.” Gerome admitted. He led Inigo back to his tent, now Minerva-less. They both went in and sat on Gerome’s bed roll. Inigo leaned against him, as he used to when he cried, but no tears came.

“I’m starting to think you were right about this whole thing. About how we shouldn’t have come back,” Inigo said quietly.

“What? Why do you say that?” Gerome asked, profoundly confused. Out of all of them, he had thought that Inigo would be the one that was the most grateful to see their parents again.

“In our future, it was hard, but it was simple. All we had to do was fight Risen. They were relatively easy to kill, once you got used to the stench of rotting flesh. But here? I’ve lived as a mercenary for the past two and a half years. I’ve had to be employed by less than decent men simply so I had enough money to survive. I’ve had to go for days with a wound untreated because I couldn’t afford treatment. I can basically sleep on any surface because I’ve had to some nights.” Inigo sniffled, clearly attempting to hold back tears. “The worst part, though, is-”

“The killing?” Gerome guessed. Inigo nodded. “I know how you feel. In our future, we were killing things that were already dead. The men and women we have to fight in these wars are very much alive and they all have families, possibly children, who won’t get to see them again.”

Inigo couldn’t hold back his tears any longer. He latched onto Gerome, as he used to back in the future. “I thought you all were dead,” he whispered and Gerome wrapped his arms around Inigo and held him tightly as he cried to make sure Inigo realized he was there. It was much more intense than usual, probably, Gerome guessed, because he hadn’t allowed himself to cry for the two and a half years they’d been separated. 

Eventually, as Inigo was calming down, he reached up and untied Gerome’s mask. He giggled a little, still with tears wet on his face.

“What?”

“It’s just, I guess it was never really a problem in our future, and it wouldn’t be here either, seeing as you don’t take off your mask ever. It, um, left a tan line,” Inigo giggled more.

Gerome blushed, hard. “Give that back,” he demanded reaching for his mask. 

Inigo held it just out of reach. “Noo you always keep it off after I cry.” Gerome sighed but stopped trying to grab his mask. “So do you think we can share a tent? Make it just like old times, except instead of a big, fancy room, it’s a small, rather drab tent?”

“I suppose, but wouldn’t you rather have a tent to yourself? I believe we have enough.”

“I like sharing a room with you better. And I want to keep you as close as possible so I don’t lose you again. Unless you have any objections?” Inigo asked hesitantly.

Gerome shook his head. “I missed you.”

\-------------

The fifth time, Gerome didn’t really see Inigo cry. They were 22 and Ylisse was at peace. Grima had been defeated, their future averted. Robin, the one of this time, had reappeared a few months after killing Grima to find Ylisse and its surrounding kingdoms at peace. He was appointed King of Plegia soon after his reappearance in order to help the Plegians get back on their feet. Gerome and Inigo still shared Inigo’s room because he claimed it was way too big for one person. It was actually because of the nightmares, and the fact that neither of them really wanted to move rooms, but neither Gerome nor Inigo were about to tell anyone. 

Inigo continued to flirt with women, occasionally dragging Gerome with him. He didn’t necessarily enjoy the trips into town, but he was always there to drag him back, usually drunk and crying from being rejected. Inigo had gotten used to rejection, so he never really needed Gerome’s comfort and would be done crying by the time they got back to the castle.

Gerome was also used to Inigo sneaking out in the middle of the night to practice his dancing. The first few times it had happened, Gerome had gone to try and find him, scared of losing him again. Inigo would always return by morning, most of the castle none the wiser. He wasn’t sure if Inigo knew that he had followed him a few times. But waking up to Inigo’s bed empty in the middle of the night didn’t really seem odd to Gerome when he woke up. He just went back to sleep, figuring Inigo would be back in the morning.

Except he wasn’t. In his place on the bed were two letters. One addressed to him and the other addressed to his family. He picked up the one with his name on it in Inigo’s swirling handwriting.

Dear Gerome,

I am sorry to let you know like this. I had every intention of staying in Ylisse to enjoy the peace we have brought to the realm. Unfortunately, I have been called to another kingdom, far away, to help save it. Owain and Severa are coming with me. We were approached by a man named Anankos a few days ago who asked us to save his kingdom. If we believed him, we were supposed to follow a map and meet him on the next full moon. As you can see, we decided to believe him. If he was lying and this seems to be a trap, I can assure you that we will return soon safe and sound. However, if there is a kingdom that needs our help, we can’t refuse. I promise we will return as quickly as possible. I’d ask you to not follow us, but I know you will anyway. With that in mind, I asked Libra to make a copy of the map and I’ve hid it somewhere. He has promised me that he will not let anyone else know what the map looks like, including you. I know you would try to stop me and bring me back, so I can’t tell you where it is, but I’m sure you’ll be able to find it. Please make sure my parents get their letter and try to convince them not to send people after us. I will try to write if I am able. I promise I’ll see you again someday.

Love,  
Inigo

Gerome read it once, twice, and a third time before it truly sunk in. Inigo had left. He reached up and wiped the tears off his face that had started falling while reading Inigo’s note. Inigo had been crying, too, while writing the letter, if the water damage to the paper and occasional smudged letters were any indication. He had been crying and Gerome didn’t even notice. He just kept sleeping. Gerome cursed himself for getting used to Inigo leaving in the middle of the night, making him sleep through this time. The one time when it really mattered.

He read the letter one last time before folding it back up and putting it in the envelope it came in. After putting on his mask, even after the war he continued to wear it out of habit, he slipped the two letters into a pocket and left to find Chrom and Olivia. It didn’t take long to find Frederick, who was looking for Inigo to make sure he was ready for a meeting that was supposed to be starting soon, and convince him to take him to Chrom.

Chrom was in a room with Olivia, Lucina, Lissa, Robin, Flavia, Basilio, and Say’ri to discuss distribution of funds and supplies for repairs from the wars.

“Ah, Gerome, this is a surprise,” Chrom greeted him, looking understandably surprised, since Gerome barely approached anyone other than the ones who traveled back from the future and occasionally Robin. “Is Inigo on his way?”

“No, I’m... I’m afraid he won’t be coming anytime soon,” Gerome said quietly. 

“What? What do you mean?”

Gerome wordlessly brought out the letter addressed to Inigo’s family. He watched as they read it in silence. Olivia close to tears, reminding him very much of how Inigo looked when he was on the brink of tears. Lucina and Chrom both just stared at the letter in shock.

“So Inigo is... gone?” Olivia finally asked quietly. “You’re sure?”

Gerome nodded. “I am sorry. But yes. He left last night while everyone was asleep. According to the letter he left me, Severa and Owain went with him.”

Olivia nodded, sad but accepting that he had left. Chrom, however, didn’t seem to be so accepting of the fact. “We have to go find them. They can’t have gone far.”

“No,” Gerome said quietly, stepping in front of Chrom as he tried to leave the room to make preparations.

“What?” Chrom was thoroughly confused that Gerome was standing in his way. It was fair, Gerome thought, since usually Gerome tried to bring Inigo back if he ever ran off to hide. This time was different though.

“No. We’re not going to find them. They obviously left in the dead of night for a reason. They don’t want to be followed,” Gerome stood firm, despite the fact that he was standing alone against the king of his country. “Believe me, all I want to do right now is go after Inigo, but he specifically asked me to not let you send anyone after him.”

“Chrom...” Olivia interrupted quietly. She walked forward and put her hand on Chrom’s shoulder. “I believe we should trust that Inigo, Owain, and Severa will come back to us when they are done with their business in whatever country they have gone to help.”

“I understand how you are feeling now,” Gerome said and even to him, his words felt like a punch in the gut, “but we have to accept that Inigo is gone now and we don’t know when he’s coming back.”


	2. Chapter 2

The first time Inigo really let himself cry after he left Ylisse was only after the war was over. By that point he had stopped trying to guess how old he was anymore. Inigo had helped Nohr win their war, using the false name Laslow, which had ended about 3 months ago, and decided he would stay until Nohr and Hoshido were really at peace again. There was still a ways to go, seeing as most of the Hoshidans understandably didn’t trust most Nohrians. Inigo couldn’t blame them. After all, the former King was the cause of both the war and the deaths of the former Hoshidan King and Queen. Not to mention neither of the princes survived the war. Inigo had been there for both of their deaths, and though neither of them were pleasant in the least, he was more unsettled by Prince Takumi’s death because of the resemblance he bore to the risen Inigo used to fight so often. 

Inigo did what he could to get a smile on people’s faces, more so than usual after the war. Usually that included sneaking out of the castle and into town to find mostly out of the way places to dance where there was a small audience so he could gradually get used to dancing in front of strangers. Occasionally, on rare days like today, he would get caught by Xander on his way back in and would have to spend the day in Xander’s room. It wasn’t that he minded being in Xander’s room all day, it was just that he didn’t really like being stuck in one place. It reminded him too much of his Ylisse right before they all left to go back to the past. It made him feel a bit cleithrophobic. He usually got really fidgety after a while of being closed in a room without a way to get out. Odin and Selena were the same way. Selena had taken up pegasus riding, finally feeling like she was out of her mother’s shadow, in order to combat the feeling. Odin felt better because he could use magic. The only thing that made the cleithrophobia go away for Inigo was dancing, but he couldn’t really always sneak away to dance.

“Laslow, I think this is the third time this month that I’ve caught you sneaking back into the castle from the town,” Xander sighed. “I’m honestly surprised I haven’t gotten any more reports of your shameless flirting with how often you’re gone.”

It was a fair thought, Inigo supposed, seeing as how when he first arrived in Nohr he would sneak out multiple times a week to go to local bars and taverns to flirt with the girls there. He mostly did it to combat the homesickness, to have a small constant in his life. It was mostly the work of Selena and Xander that got him to tone his charm down and break the habit. Selena because she made him uncomfortable with a slightly exaggerated version of his flirting and Xander because he kept Inigo in his room all day.

Inigo wasn’t sure what to say to Xander. He could apologize, but it wasn’t like he could offer much of an explanation. Was he just supposed to say that he went dancing because he felt trapped in the castle? But he didn’t want Xander to laugh at him like so many others had. He was just starting to build up confidence about his dancing.

“Just tell me where you were. We’re both lucky that no one else has found you yet.”

Inigo grimaced. He could imagine the scandal that would be made of one of Xander’s retainers sneaking in and out of the castle, especially after such a war. “I’ve just been... around town.”

“Laslow,” Xander sighed again. 

“Yes milord?” he asked after a few beats of tense silence. Nothing good could come from the tone of voice Xander had used. Instantly, Inigo went over every single bad outcome from this. He could possibly be fired, which would mean that he’d be separated from Odin and Selena, which would also mean he’d have to go back to being a mercenary, and who would hire an ex-royal retainer that had been kicked out. Or he’d be demoted and everyone would look down on him, despite how hard he had worked to remain Xander’s retainer, and maybe then Odin and Selena wouldn’t want to even be seen with him and he wouldn’t talk to his friends ever again. Or he could be locked in the castle and not be able to get away and dance ever again and it would slowly drive him crazy.

“First, you don’t need to continue freaking out. You look like I’ve already given you a death sentence,” Xander started. And oh no that wasn’t even something he’d accounted for. He’d never be able to get back to Ylisse if he were dead. Xander’s voice cut through his thoughts, “Which I haven’t, and never will. And second, I’ll let you off the hook this time on one condition.”

“Which is?” Inigo asked nervously.

“Tell me about your homeland.” Inigo’s eyes widened in surprise. Out of all the theoretical conditions he came up with in his head, this was definitely not one of them. “Unless you’d like to stay in my room for the next week,” Xander suggested after Inigo didn’t respond.

“No, no, I just don’t really know what to tell you,” Inigo finally replied. “There’s a lot of stuff that wouldn’t really make sense, and a lot of stuff that would take a while to explain.” He knew that, even though Xander had seen a lot of strange things during the war between Nohr and Hoshido, things like time travel, Grima, Naga, and the Risen would sound like made up stories.

“Why don’t you start with your family?”

“Well, my mom’s name is Olivia. She’s from a country called Regna Ferox. She was a dancer for the troops there before a war between Ylisse and Plegia, where she joined my father’s army to boost the troops’ morale.”

“So your father was a general?”

Inigo nodded. “Something like that. He called his army the Shepherds and it was really just a ragtag group of soldiers that decided to join him for different reasons. His name is Chrom. He’s really easy to spot in a crowd because he has blue hair and for some reason none of his shirts have a right sleeve. He’s a really great leader, though. The Shepherds started out with I think nine soldiers, and one of them was still in training. When I left, there were almost 50. All of them very skilled and able to win a battle even if the odds weren’t even close to being in their favor.”

“That’s actually very impressive,” Xander commented.

“My sister, Lucina, definitely took after him more than I did. She’s a born leader and really outgoing and confident. She’s also a lot stronger than me.”

Xander smiled. “Well then I guess I’m lucky that I fought you instead of her.”

Inigo laughed, “I suppose so. She dueled with our father once and almost won, even while holding back.”

“As you were when we dueled when you first became my retainer?”

“I wasn’t holding back that much! At least, not near the end. Anyway, then there’s my aunt, Lissa. She’s pretty similar to Elise, actually. And there’s my cousin-” Inigo was interrupted by frantic knocking on Xander’s door.

“Enter,” he commanded.

The door flew open and Selena nearly fell to the floor. She looked as if she had just sprinted from one end of the castle to the other. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she looked at Inigo. “Nah,” she gasped. Inigo’s eyes widened. It couldn’t be. “And... Minerva.”

In a flash, Inigo was on his feet. “You’re sure?” She nodded and grabbed his arm and dragged him behind her. “Gerome?”

“Too far away to tell,” she gasped.

“Laslow! What are you doing?” Xander called after them, but they were at the end of the hall by the time he got to his door. He barely had time to look back, much less answer as he was pulled behind Selena. He couldn’t find it in him to care, however, that he would most definitely get in trouble. 

While running, he realized that Selena probably had run all the way across the castle. If it really was Nah and Minerva, then Gerome would almost certainly be there. Unless... He shook his head. Gerome had to be here.

“Have you told Odin?” he gasped as they whipped around another corner, almost running into someone.

“Of course I did, do you think I’m stupid?” she snapped back.

“You might have come to me first.”

They ran in relative silence after that. Inigo was almost certain he had never run so fast in his life. The thought that Gerome had _finally_ found his way here after two years kept him going faster and faster. (Well, two years, three months, and eighteen days, not that Inigo was counting.) His footsteps only faltered once, when he realized that Gerome might not recognize him with his new appearance. The only thought that kept him going was that he probably didn’t look too different and he hadn’t changed much in two years, he thought.

Finally, they reached the outer castle wall where Odin was already waiting. He was being uncharacteristically silent watching the two figures in the distance. The one on the left had a distinctive shimmer that could only belong to Nah and Inigo would recognize Minerva anywhere. The question was would Minerva recognize him.

“It’s really them,” he breathed out. “They found us.”

Xander finally caught up with them. “Who are they? What’s going on?”

Selena and Odin both turned and knelt before Xander told them to stand. Inigo didn’t take his eyes off the sky, almost worried if he turned away the rapidly growing figures would disappear. They were close enough that he could make out a person on each dragon. He tried to lean over the edge of the wall to try and see who it was, but he was stopped by someone grabbing his collar and pulling him back.

“Be careful,” Xander chastised. He didn’t let go of Inigo’s collar. “Who are they?”

“They’re old friends, from our homeland,” Inigo said.

“You trust them?”

He nodded. “With my life.”

Xander nodded and let go of his collar. “Then they are welcome here.”

Inigo returned to watching for his friends, wishing they would hurry so he could see who it really was. “One more thing, milord,” he started. He took Xander’s silence as an invitation to continue. “Remember that bit a while ago where I said I had a fake name and appearance and then said I was joking? Well, these friends will know me as Inigo, not Laslow.”

“Inigo, huh?” He nodded. “Well it’s nice to _finally_ know your real name.”

“AlsoI’maprince,” he rushed out. Selena and Odin both looked at him like he was crazy. He knew he wasn’t _technically_ supposed to reveal his identity ever, but the war was over, so he figured he was safe.

“Could you repeat that?” Xander asked. “Slower this time.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m a prince.”

“You’re... a prince?” Inigo nodded, biting his lip. “Then why are you here?”

“We were visited by a god saying that our help was needed elsewhere. You don’t argue with a god. And our homeland was finally at peace, for the first time since I could remember.” He leaned over the wall again, hoping that the small distance would let them come faster.

“Then wouldn’t you want to stay in that peaceful land?”

“I’d rather bring the peace to other places. Make sure everyone can smile.”

“That’s an honorable wish,” Xander commented, but Inigo was too distracted trying to see who was _on_ the dragons to really pay attention.

Inigo reasoned that Lucina must be riding Nah because he could see her blue hair. He subconsciously brought a hand up to tug at his now gray hair, wishing he could change it back. It _had_ to be Gerome riding Minerva, Naga knows he’d never let anyone else take her reigns. Well, he’d let Inigo once, but that was under _very_ close supervision.

It wouldn’t be long before they arrived and Inigo couldn’t tear his eyes away from them. Odin and Selena were just as anxious as him, fidgeting and pacing around waiting. Inigo brought two fingers to his mouth and let out a loud, shrill whistle. The change in pace was obvious, two sets of wings flapping faster and faster. Inigo could feel his heart beating faster and faster as they got closer and closer. It was glaringly obvious now that it was indeed Gerome and Lucina riding Minerva and Nah. He leaned out over the edge of the wall again, likely too far to necessarily be safe, but he knew Xander would catch him if he started to fall.

“They’re here,” he breathed out. “They’re really here.”

He finally took a step back from the wall once they were almost on top of the castle, ready to land on the wall. He shielded his eyes from the glow as Nah turned back. For a few seconds, they all looked at each other in silence, not entirely trusting that the view in front of them was real.

Lucina was the first to move, rushing forward to throw her arms around Inigo. Her grip was almost crushing, but Inigo was in no place to complain as he knew he was holding on as tight as he could.

“Never pull a stunt like that ever again,” Lucina chided once they finally separated. She ruffled Inigo’s hair. “Don’t tell me you’re getting so old your hair turned gray?”

Inigo chuckled. “It’s a long story, best told elsewhere. It’s good to see you too, Luci. How are mother and father?”

“Worried near to death about their missing son. Honestly, who _disappears off the face of the earth_ a week before their sister’s birthday?”

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Sorry about that. It was a sort of... time sensitive mission. You got the present I left for you though, right?”

“The pressed flower?” Inigo nodded. Lucina smiled and looked at the ground, shaking her head. “You always were a man for flowers.”

Lucina turned to Odin and Inigo turned to Nah.

“How’s the pursuit of females been?” Nah asked with a straight face. Inigo smiled and leaned down to hug her.

“I’ve-” he glanced over to Gerome, standing awkwardly on his own a few feet away “-mostly given that up. It always was a way to combat my shyness, but I found a better alternative.”

“I guess I won’t be able to eat you then,” she said, not quite able to keep her straight face.

He laughed, “I should hope not. I see you haven’t grown much.”

She smiled. “I could always grow right here and now.”

“Probably best that you don’t,” Inigo replied, still smiling. “It wouldn’t do for you to crush a royal retainer.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about your new job,” Nah said and turned to Odin and Selena. Before his attention was completely off her, she added, “Later. Now, I believe you owe someone an explanation in person.”

He turned to Gerome, still wearing that ridiculous mask after all those years. He knew he wasn’t paying attention because he was focused on Minerva, petting her head and murmuring to her. Inigo took a deep breath and walked up to him. He was close enough that he would be able to reach out and tap his shoulder, let him know he was there, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Inigo merely stared at him, taking in the new patches sewn into his clothing and the way his hair was even more windblown than he had remembered it and how the strap on his mask was new and how it was tied somewhat sloppily and how his boots were worn and different from the ones he had worn in Ylisse, these ones less for protection in battle and more for simple travel.

“I know you’re there,” Gerome muttered without turning around, startling Inigo out of his thoughts.

“I-” Inigo started.

“How’ve you been?”

“It’s different here than in Ylisse,” Inigo replied, looking out past the wall. Gerome made a quiet noise of acknowledgement. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

Gerome finally turned around. “Then why did you leave?”

Inigo looked down. “You got my letter, right?”

“You cried when you wrote it.”

His eyes widened. He remembered that, but he hadn’t thought Gerome would notice or, if he did, remember. “The man, Anankos, turned out to be a god. He asked us directly to help this kingdom.”

“You left, though, before you knew he was a god. Why?” Gerome’s tone wasn’t accusatory, though Inigo knew he had every right to be. Rather it was simply curious and something else Inigo couldn’t place.

“We couldn’t just turn away a man in need. I would have tried writing, so I didn’t just disappear completely, but I didn’t know it would be a whole other world. I’m sorry.”

Gerome sighed. “Promise me one thing?”

“Anything,” Inigo replied immediately.

“If you ever get an idea like this again, bring me with you.”

“Of course. I promise.” With that, Inigo finally stepped forward and hugged Gerome tightly. “I missed you,” he repeated in a whisper. They were both content to stay there, but Minerva nudging them made them finally separate. She huffed at Inigo and he ran his hand along her snout. “How could I forget my number one fan?” She growled at him and pressed her head into his hand. “Of course I’ll dance for you, but not right now.” She growled again and he laughed. “I know it’s been a while, but I promise later.”

“Laslow, would you mind introducing me to your friends?” Xander interrupted.

“Of course, milord. This is my sister Lucina, this is Nah, this is Gerome, and this is Minerva,” he said, gesturing to each of them in turn. “And this,” he said to the rest of them, “is King Xander. I’m his retainer.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you all. You are all welcome here in Nohr. I’m afraid we don’t really have any guest rooms ready, so you’ll all have to stay with Laslow, Odin, and Selena for the time being.”

“That sounds wonderful, thank you. And it is a far step up from our sleeping arrangements on the way here,” Lucina said with a smile on her face.

“I trust you can decide the sleeping arrangements yourselves. Laslow, meet me in my room once everyone is settled.”

“Of course, milord,” Laslow responded and Xander walked back to his room. “Ok, Gerome can come with me and the rest of you can sort everything out, right?”

“Just go, we’ll find you once we’re done,” Selena said. “And I’ll take care of Minerva.”

“Right, thank you.”

The walk back to Inigo’s room was quiet, though Inigo expected as much. Gerome never was much of a talkative person. Just because he expected it, though, didn’t mean it wasn’t making him more nervous.

“This is my room,” he said quietly. He hadn’t felt this nervous about talking to anyone in a long time. Gerome didn’t say anything as he walked in and set down his bag.

“It’s bare,” Gerome finally said, looking around the walls.

“I haven’t been in the castle much since I got here. And most of my things can fit in a bag like yours.”

“I see. Do you still go out every night?”

“Not to flirt. I’ve been going to small taverns and the like to dance and get used to dancing in front of people,” Inigo answered. “I see you haven’t given up that mask.”

“It’s much easier to keep my emotions in check like this,” Gerome responded honestly. 

Inigo made a face at that and reached up. “Turn around.” He untied the strap and set the mask gently on the desk next to them. When Gerome turned back around to face him, Inigo wrapped him in a hug.

“What-?” Gerome asked when he felt tears drip down onto his shoulder. Without waiting for an answer to his unasked question, he hugged Inigo back. He started running his fingers through Inigo’s hair, surprised at how soft it was and how long it had gotten.

“Sorry, I just... I missed you so much,” Inigo managed between sobs. “I hate wars.”

“I missed you, too,” Gerome admitted quietly. Inigo pulled away and wiped at his tears with the heels of his hands. “I should have told you this a while ago, but I... I love you Inigo.”

Inigo stared at him in silence for a few seconds, frozen in shock. Once his brain caught up, he hugged Gerome once more. “I love you too.”


End file.
